topics
tools
Expatica countries
Index Last Var.(%)
BEL 20 2235.74 -1.54
DAX 6677.3 -1.64
IBEX 30 8784.3 -1.32
CAC 40 3380.5 -1.29
FTSE 100 5850.22 -0.77
AEX 320.82 -1.32
DJIA 12890.46 0.05
Nasdaq 2927.23 0.39
FTSE MIB 16430.62 -1.34
TSX Composite 12497.94 -0.18
ASX 4322.6 -0.79
Hang seng 20783.86 -1.08
Straits Times 2960 -0.71
ISEQ 20 502.17 -0.31
You are here: Home News Dutch News Dutch bar owners win new victory in fight against smoking...

Dutch News

archive
Enlarge font Decrease font Text size


04/07/2009Dutch bar owners win new victory in fight against smoking ban

Dutch bar owners won a new victory in their fight against a smoking ban on their premises when an appeal court cleared two of them of breaking the law and quashed a EUR 1,200 fine.

The Hague - Dutch bar owners won a new victory in their fight against a smoking ban on their premises when an appeal court cleared two of them of breaking the law and quashed a EUR 1,200 fine.

"The law contains no formal obligation for landlords of cafes, restaurants and hotels without staff to implement a smoking ban," the appeal court at Leeuwarden in the northern Netherlands said in a statement.

It overturned the verdict handed down in a lower court against the pair from Groningen who became the first to be prosecuted following the introduction of the nationwide ban a year ago.

In May the appeals court of Den Bosch, in the southern Netherlands, upheld the acquittal of the two owners of the Victoria cafe in Breda, near the Belgian border.

"The court finds that the (ban) is partly non-binding, as it lacks legal grounding" regarding establishments with no staff, said a court statement.

The ban on smoking in the hotel, restaurant and catering industry had sought to protect staff from the dangers of second-hand smoke inhalation.

Several thousand small bars and cafes in the Netherlands united late last year to defy the smoking ban and create a joint legal defence fund, arguing they lacked the floor space and money to erect separate smoking-only areas.

A recent Dutch health ministry study found that 62 percent of Dutch cafes saw a drop in business in October and November 2008, compared with a year earlier, on account of the smoking ban.

AFP / Expatica


1 reaction to this article

spaniard posted: 2009-07-09 14:45:30

>a drop in business in October and November 2008, compared
>with a year earlier, on account of the smoking ban.

Nothing to do with the economic crisis? Or the outrageous prices of a small beer?

Add a comment

General rating: Not rated yet

Rate article:    Add my rating


1 reaction to this article

spaniard posted: 2009-07-09 14:45:30

>a drop in business in October and November 2008, compared
>with a year earlier, on account of the smoking ban.

Nothing to do with the economic crisis? Or the outrageous prices of a small beer?

Add a comment
Discussion Forums

Legal Problems in the Netherlands

Problem with Internet Provider

Netherlands Soapbox

"No, that's not possible."

Student Forum The Netherlands

Uni fees - questions

Legal Problems in the Netherlands

KM -> PR -> Citizenship

Business and Finance in the Netherlands

M Form wrongly calculated by the tax office?

participate in the forums

Inside Expatica
Setting up home in the Netherlands

Setting up home in the Netherlands

A guide to telephone, internet and television along with utility services water, electricity and gas in the Netherlands.

Dutch immigration and residency regulations

Dutch immigration and residency regulations

Lost in the Dutch immigration system? Look no further than this guide compiled for our Survival Guide 2012.

A brief introduction to the Netherlands

A brief introduction to the Netherlands

Expatica offers a whistle-stop tour of life in the modern Netherlands.

Giving birth in the Netherlands

Giving birth in the Netherlands

The challenges and benefits of the maternity system in the Netherlands and how it differs to other countries.